Vocabulary:

1) to complete — совершать, завершать

2) to require— требовать

3) equipment — оборудование

4) to direct — управлять, руководить

5) to conduct — проводить

6) general-purpose — общего назначения

7) specific — конкретный, определенный

8) control — управление

9) internal — внутренний

10) aid — помощь

11) regardless — несмотря на, безотносительно

12) to boot — загружать

13) memory capacity — вместимость памяти

14) peripheral — периферийный

15) to install — устанавливать, встраивать, инсталлировать

16) mainboard — материнская плата

17) to attach — присоединять

18) developer — разработчик

19) to handle — управлять, обращаться с

20) to transfer — переводить, переносить

21) to provide with — обеспечивать чем-либо

22) security — безопасность

23) to check — проверять

24) to develop — развивать, проявлять

25) Web-browser — «браузер» (программа, позволяющая пользователю искать и считывать информацию с глобальной электронной сети Internet)

1. Are the following statements true or false? Prove your answers.

1. Computer programs only instruct hardware how to handle data storage.

2. System software controls internal computer activities.

3. System software is very dependable on the type of application software being used.

4. The information about memory capacity, the model of the processor and disk drives are unavailable for system software.

5. The driver is a special device usually used by car drivers for Floppy-disk driving.

6. It is very reasonable to ask for a driver when you buy a new piece of hardware.

7. Software developers tend to make their products very small and with poor interface to save computer resources.

8. Communication software is in great demand now because of the new advances in communication technologies.

9. Application software is merely a general-purpose instrument.

10. Web-browsers is the class of software for electronic communication through the network.

Text 1.13.23 Operating Systems

Pre-reading task:

1. Why do you think Bill Gates, President of Microsoft Company is one of the richest people on the Earth?

2. Judging from your experience tell if UNIX is used nowadays? What about OS/2?

3. Ask the students in your group who have experience working with Windows (2000 or XP) about the advantages and disadvantages of these operational systems.

4. Read the text “Operating Systems” and discuss the following questions in group:

5. What problems faced programmers in the 1940's and 1950's?

6. Why were the first programs «complex» and «time-consuming»?

7. What are the basic functions of operating system?

8. What does the abbreviation DOS mean?

9. What company developed the first version of DOS operating system? For what purpose was it done? Was the new operational system successful?

10. What is the difference between the PC-DOS and MS-DOS?

11. What does the abbreviation NT stand for? Is NT DOS-compatible? What are the basic requirements for NT?

12. Who is the developer of OS/2?

13. What makes UNIX so different from the other operational systems?

14. What are the special features of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP?

When computers were first introduced in the 1940's and 50's, every program written had to provide instructions that told the computer how to use devices such as the printer, how to store information on a disk, as well as how to perform several other tasks not necessarily related to the program. The additional program instructions for working with hardware devices were very complex¹, and time-consuming². Programmers soon realized3 it would be smarter⁴ to develop one program that could control the computer's hardware, which others programs could have used when they needed it. With that, the first operating system was born.

Today, operating systems control and manage the use of hardware devices such as the printer or mouse. They also provide disk management by letting you store information in files. The operating system also lets you run programs such as the basic word processor. Lastly, the operating system provides several of its own commands that help you to use the computer.

DOS is the most commonly used PC operating system. DOS is an abbreviation for disk operating system. DOS was developed by a company named Microsoft. MS-DOS is an abbreviation for «Microsoft DOS». When IBM first released the IBM PC in 1981, IBM licensed DOS from Microsoft for use on the PC and called it PC-DOS. From the user’s perspective, PC-DOS and MS-DOS are the same, each providing the same capabilities and commands.

The version of DOS release in 1981 was 1.0. Over the past decade⁵, DOS has undergone several changes. Each time the DOS developers release a new version⁶, they increase the version number.

Windows NT (new technology) is an operating system developed by Microsoft. NT is an enhanced⁷ version of the popular Microsoft Windows 3.0, 3.1 programs. NT requires a 386 processor or greater and 8 Mb of RAM. For the best NT performance, you have to use a 486 processor with about 16 Mb or higher. Unlike the Windows, which runs on top of DOS⁸, Windows NT is an operating system itself. However, NT is DOS compatible⁹. The advantage of using NT over Windows is that NT makes better use of the PC's memory management capabilities.

OS/2 is a PC operating system created by IBM. Like NT, OS/2 is DOS compatible and provides a graphical user interface that lets you run programs with a click of a mouse¹⁰. Also like NT, OS/2 performs best when you are using a powerful system. Many IBM-based PCs are shipped¹¹ with OS/2 preinstalled.

UNIX is a multi-user operating system that allows¹² multiple users¹³ to access¹⁴ the system. Traditionally, UNIX was run on larger mini computers to which users accessed the systems using terminals and not PC's. UNIX allowed each user to simultaneously¹⁵ run the programs they desired¹⁶. Unlike NT and OS/2, UNIX is not DOS compatible. Most users would not purchase UNIX for their own use.

Windows 2000 & XP are the most popular user-oriented operating systems with a friendly interface and multitasking capabilities.